Introduction To COVID 19 & Essential Medicines Availability: Supply Chain Solutions for 2020 and Beyond Hackathon

Introduction

Strathmore University is collaborating with the Kuehne Foundation to support medical, humanitarian, charitable, and cultural projects through strengthening the supply chain and logistics capacity.

The Kuehne Foundation is a Swiss-based charity established by the Kuehne family in 1976. It is associated with Kuehne + Nagel, one of the world’s leading logistics service providers.

The Foundation, in partnership with the German Logistics Association (BVL) and the German Foreign Trade & Logistics Academy (DAV), seeks to strengthen logistics and supply chain management capacity. This is implemented through the Kuehne Logistics University (KLU) in Germany, as well as partnerships with other leading global institutions, including Strathmore University.

Besides training, the Foundation is also involved in humanitarian logistics under its HELP affiliate. It is under these partnerships that Strathmore University is rolling out a Health Supply Chain Internship that includes a Hackathon Training Programme.

The aim is to enable students undertaking the Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LSCM) and MBA in Healthcare Management courses to work closely with the other Kuehne partners.

The broader aim of this hackathon is to introduce our students to critical thinking and also enable them to acquire hands-on experience in teamwork in solving relevant national issues. The specific aim is to enable the students to develop pragmatic and cost-efficient solutions to the Kenyan health supply chain. The idea is to develop resilient solutions that will ensure continuity in the availability of essential health commodities, both during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed fragility in health supply chains across low-and middle-Income countries like Kenya, presenting opportunity for innovative solutions that are resilient to such external shocks.  Do you have any innovative ideas on how that can be done? Let’s hear it.

Those who do well in the hackathon will enjoy extensive benefits under the partnership that will include integration into the global network, additional training opportunities locally and internationally at the KLU, all aimed at preparing them to be health supply chain leaders.

Developing Great African Leaders

For more information, write to Mary Aminga on maminga@strathmore.edu

or Sylvia Anyika on sanyika@strathmore.edu

What do you gain from participating in this hackathon?
  1. Develop your ability to perform project proposal, development, and to pitch/present the idea.
  2. Increase your knowledge and build your portfolio of experience that is a vital element to securing creating your own job later.
  3. Expand your social network and collaboration muscles with practitioners in the industry
  4. Could lead to your next job and internship opportunity through the collaborating agencies
  5. Provide you with a great opportunity to cultivate your technical and behavioural competencies through training, mentorship, and coaching
  6. Provide a basis for furthering educational and career development through future engagements
  7. Be part of solving world complex problems that could lead to winning price from your innovative idea and business proposal.